Monday, August 28, 2023

Monochrome Monday; Plowing

Pentax 6X7; 90mm f/2.8 lens; Tri-X film (click to enlarge)

In the mid-1980s a couple of fellow photographer friends and I were out chasing a steam locomotive pulling a train along a route that was the old Virginian Railway in what is commonly known as "Southside" Virginia.  It was a very hot, humid summer day.  While looking for a place to stop and photograph the train as it passed by, we spotted this farmer slowly plowing a large field (many acres) with a small plow pulled by a horse.  We had to stop.  How could we not?

We photographed him while plowing in the distance for several minutes but after spotting the three of us, the farmer was gracious enough to temporarily stop his work, come over and pose for us.  We had a nice chat but I have no memory of what it was about.  I'm sorry I didn't write down or record his name as he is the only farmer I've ever witnessed horse-drawn plow in action.  

Join me over at my website, https://www.dennismook.com.  

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!  

Dennis A. Mook  

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4 comments:

  1. Marcus PeddleAugust 28, 2023 at 8:33 AM

    That is a fine photograph. I like the shed(?) in the background. Really completes the scene.

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    1. AnonymousAugust 28, 2023 at 9:59 AM

      Thank you Marcus. That shed is very typical of the American south. There are many of this style still around but what I don’t see much of anymore are old “tobacco barns” which have an equally unique architecture.

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  2. AnonymousAugust 28, 2023 at 12:48 PM

    That photo brings back fond memories. When small, I used to ride on the plow pulled by "Lucy" the big white draft horse. The only sound was that of the earth being turned in the garden. I remember thinking how different that sound was compared to the noisy tractor. Lucy knew exactly what to do when plowing the garden or pulling the sled between the rows in the tobacco field. She pulled and stopped when my uncle spoke. It was a slower time and more civilized as I remember it.

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    1. AnonymousAugust 28, 2023 at 2:10 PM

      Thanks for telling us your story. I’m happy my image brought back some fond memories.

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